Suspect says 14-year-old victim planned his kidnap

A suspect, Bolanle Fasasi, has claimed that a 14-year-old boy planned his own kidnap.

Fasasi, 19, insisted that Daniel Oke, who was kidnapped from his parents’ home in Ikotun, Lagos State by his next door neighbor, Quadri Raymond, was a willing victim.

According to her, Oke, who was friendly with Raymond, followed him willingly from Ikotun to Ikorodu area of the state to stay with Bolanle.

She said, “Daniel (Oke) even confided in me that he and Raymond planned his kidnap so that his father could give Raymond some money.”

The police had arrested Fasasi and her boyfriend, Raymond over the kidnapping of Oke.

Lagos State Police Command spokesperson, Ngozi Braide, explained that two weeks ago, a case of kidnapping was reported at Ikotun Police Division.

She said when the parents of the boy could not find him, they raised the alarm. Later, a resident of the area told the parents that he saw the missing boy with Raymond.

When 24-year-old Raymond returned home late that night, he denied seeing the boy.

She said, “After the case was transferred to the Special Anti-robbery Squad, Ikeja, Raymond confessed to kidnapping the boy.

“He told detectives that he had moved the boy to his girl friend’s place in Ikorodu and took the policemen there.

“He explained that he was going to demand for a ransom of N2m from his victim’s parents before his arrest.”

Raymond, who used to run a soccer viewing centre, said he decided to kidnap the boy because he was financially down.

He said, “Daniel and I left home together for Ikorodu. I told him that we were going somewhere. I called my girl friend that I was bringing somebody, but I didn’t tell her who. It was when I got there that I told her about the kidnap plan and how I wanted to raise N2m from Daniel’s parents.

“Daniel stayed with her for three days. My plan was to buy him (Daniel) a lot of gifts, a sort of a bribe and beg him not to tell his parents that I was the person that kidnapped him.”

But Fasasi maintained that the kidnap plan was hatched between Raymond and Daniel.

She said, “Raymond never told me that he kidnapped the boy. In fact, he had once introduced the boy to me as his younger brother. It was when I became worried because Daniel was missing school that he (Oke) later told me that he and Raymond planned his kidnap, so that his father would give Raymond money.”

Braide, however, said Fasasi would be given an opportunity to explain the circumstances surrounding the kidnapping in court.